Hull hopeful of N’Doye deal after fee agreed with Lokomotiv Moscow

Hull City, 5/4 with Coral to be relegated this season, have reportedly agree a fee of £3m for Lokomotiv Moscow and Senegal striker Dame N’Doye in a bid to solve their striker shortage.

Injuries to both Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez has hampered Steve Bruce throughout the winter, leaving him with no option but to field reserve forwards Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo.

The Tigers have lost their last five matches in all competitions without scoring since beating Sunderland on Boxing Day, with this striker shortage the clear reason.

N’Doye, 29, has just finished representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, and averaged about a goal every three games in the Russian Premier League for capital club Lokomotiv over the last three years. He also counts Copenhagen and Panathinaikos among his former clubs.

Bruce may also bring former Manchester United flop Diego Forlan back to the Premier League, according to the rumour mill. Uruguay legend Forlan, 35, is reportedly available for loan from parent club Cerezo Osaka, but managed just 17 goals in 98 Red Devils appearances between 2002 and 2004.

Forlan went on to have huge success in La Liga with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, playing in a Champions League semi-final with the former under Manuel Pellegrini and winning the Europa League with the latter. That success at club level was supplemented by Uruguay’s Copa America triumph in 2011.

Hull have also been linked with landing Manchester United’s talented 20-year-old Nick Powell on loan. He was having a similar spell at relegation rivals Leicester City, but failed to make much impact under Nigel Pearson.

With the Tigers tackling Newcastle United away next, a club that boss Bruce was strongly linked with joining as he is a Geordie, they need to start picking up points to help them stave off the drop. Hull are odds-on at 4/7 to stay up.